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Author
Topic: Time for a new ride (Read 6112 times)

My old chevy pickup needs put to sleep. It's weird the attachment as I have for this thing. It was my highschool graduation present and is a reminder of happier times. But she's old and quite frankly, starting to be an embarrasment. Bill was always buying and selling cars and I hate the whole process. So what kind of vehicles do middle aged gay men drive now a days?

If you are in the market for a sedan I would check out the Hyundai Sonata. I have a 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe SUV and have been very happy with it. I like the look of the Sonata, although I have not driven one.

It really depends on where you live. If you reside in an urban setting without much snow to deal with, then your choices are only as limited as your credit score/abilities.

My advice is to first settle on a few candidates, then do a google search on known mechanical or reliability issues. That will narrow down your selection a bit. Do you want sporty? Or do you carry a lot of gear around and need something with some room? Is fuel economy a concern? Etc....

That said, I can offer you this: My partner and I had a 2006 VW Beetle Convertible witha turbo and a five speed. Man that was afun car that got pretty good mpg. But unfortunately, it had a lot of niggling little problems which combined with it's complete inability to deal with snow more than 3 inches deep, meant that we had to trade it in on something else with all wheel drive and decent ground clearance. We live in a rural area on an unmaintained dirt road, and Bugsy wasn't meant for those types of things. So we traded him in an a used Subaru Outback wagon. I have recommended Subies to a number of people, and all have been happy with their cars. Out Outback has the 6 cylinder engine with auto and gets 32-34 mpg. Some friends out here recently bought a Forrester with a manual trans, and got it for under 22K, and it has a huge amount of room inside, plus excellent mpg. Subarus are known to be extremely long-lived cars and will last forever. European cars in general, are well built, but maintenance intensive. The upkeep can be a real bitch. Most new domestic cars are also extremely good. Most notably the midsized Ford Fusion, or if you prefer something full size, the newTaurus is most excellent, has above average reliability, and is available in all wheel drive if you need it.

Ultimately, research is the key to getting and finding a car you will be happy with over the course of the time you have it. Good luck, and keep us posted sto your choice.

CaptCarl (Who thinks that you should keep the old Chevy too, and give it a well deserved refurbishment)

I went with my brother (first wrong choice), went to a mega dealership (2nd wrong choice), ended up spending some fun times with my sister in law so all is good. I'd love to fix my old chevy, but she really needs put to sleep. I only drive a few thousand miles a year (i'm a leacher). We did find a lot of cars my bro thought were awesome, but I really don't think I will buy something based on bored out cams and such. After a few zins, maybe I'll spend the money to fix "old grey" up.

How much money to restore that car?` Maybe you're destined to become one of those people known around town for driving an antique! Adds character.

Let's just say, there isn't enough duct tape. My sister laughs at it and says it only weighs half as much as when it was new. Bill was horrified by this vehicle and told people it was for hauling things around. He got me a Taurus back in 04 and I couldn't get used to it. I was in a bad accident with it and luckily didn't kill anyone. I was downplaying my vision loss and slammed right through an intersection.

Thinking back, I'm pretty sure I know why my parents bought me a truck. They wanted another big old butch son. Little did they know what the bed of the truck was best used for....

Well, I have a 1974 Ford F250 piclkup truck - that needs a break job right now.

I don't drive it much because it gets about 9 miles a gallon at best. But they are handy to have around.

As for a new car, well, I know what I chose - a Mazda Miata. I know, how gay.

I have had it for nearly eight years.

It is probably the most impractical car I have ever owned and I never want to sell it. It is fun to drive, except on snow, although even then I do OK as long as I don't have to go up any hills. If I do, I turn it around and back up the hill.

Scares the devil out of other drivers when you do that.

Because I drive rentals a lot when I travel for work, I can vouch for some models. The aforementioned Fusion is pretty nice.

Were it me, I might look at a Toyota or Cheverolet. Many of their models get very good mileage and are pretty nice while driving on the highway.

I drive a truck and have thought about getting a car with a slightly better ride, but I actually do a fair amount of hauling. I dunno if I could ever drive a car again because then anytime I want to move something I'd have to call someone.

Do you NEED a truck? If so, maybe hang on to it and get a replacement for a daily driver. An older backup vehicle doesn't cost much (we have a total of 4 vehicles for 2 drivers) and is nice when the newer one does need maintenance, repairs, etc. If having more than one is impractical, I'd go for a Japanese / American combo... most Toyotas and Hondas are made here in the US. Personally, I'd be hard pressed to purchase another American vehicle unless it was the only type in its class (such as a 350/3500 chassis truck). I'm pretty disappointed in my Chevy van, but there aren't many 3500 class van brands to choose from.

Our primary vehicle is a '97 Toyota Avalon with around 180,000 miles on it. It gets 30-32 mpg on the highway fully loaded for a long weekend camping. It's big and seats 5 people very comfortably with lots of leg room. It's powerful (24 valve, DOHC V6). Most of all, it's reliable. Maintenance is cheap, easy, and there's not all that much required. We put quite a few miles per month on it, and it never lets us down. Actually, it did strand me once; I ran the 7 year old battery down and it wouldn't start.

I don't consider myself 'middle-aged' (I'm 45) but more mid-aged. Our next vehicle will be, most likely, a 2006 Avalon whenever my dad and his wife decide to part with it. It's a much nicer and more powerful car than mine, but it's still as economical and reliable.

We're in the same boat as David, 4 vehicles, 2 drivers. The Subie is Norm's ride, it's a bit too new for my taste. We also have a '97 F-250 4X4 that gets about like Mark's truck, 9-11 mpg so it only gets used when needed. I'm the guy that Mecch mentioned, the one who drives old cars everywhere. To that end, my daily ride is a 1986 AMC Eagle wagon. With the 6 cylinder and 4 wheel drive it goes through anything, can off road anywhere I could reasonbly expect to go, and if I'm nice to her, she can get in the low 20mpg range which is good enough for me. An old Isuzu Trooper rounds out the fleet. (There is also a 2005 Honda Shadow 1300 VTX I bought Norm for Christmas this year)

But if things go to plan, this summer. I should be tooling around in my mechanically refurbished/cosmetically hideous 1957 DeSoto FireSweep Shopper Wagon. It's big enough to need 4 names as well as it's own Zip Code. I have the engine out and will begin the autopsy this weekend, then comes the tranny and brakes. After that, we'll bolt it back together and start driving it to see if anything blows up.

Have a great Day, CaptCarl (who once almost bought a Miata because it had a 325 horsepower Mustang V8 stuffed under the hood)

Considering my first car was a Renault LeCar and my next car was a Fiat X-19 I probably shouldn't be giving anyone auto buying advice.

Ford- Seeing as how you are named after one car, but drive another immediately disqualifies you from posting on this subject

Actually, I too have both a LeCar and an X1/9 in my past as well. The LeCar was quirky as only the French can pull off, but it was a decent car. I absolutlely loved my X1/9, and hope someday to have another one. Mine was the one that they screwed up at the factory, in that it was actually pretty reliable. I drove it every day for about 4 years. It even did really well in the snow, and did in fact pull a Subaru wagon out of a snow filled ditch once. I miss that car...

Well, I went with my sister today to have another look around. She's more fun to car shop with, she doesn't care about the pesky engine details and such. 3 hours later, we drove away with a beautiful 08 Chrysler Sebring. She promised to go looking with me again this week since she's the one who bought the car.

I got my first new car in 1997, which was a Honda Accord. I still have that car, and knock wood, it still works very well. I've not had any major problems with it besides some issues with the power windows, 2 CD players went out, but no mechanical issues. They make good cars. I've kept it, because I didn't want another car payment. However, I really like the new Accord Coup and would like to get one. Maybe I'll wait and get one used. My partner and I were just out this weekend looking for him a new truck, or one a few years old. He drives a 2000 Ford Explorer. After 11 years, it has had its problems. American cars just aren't made to last more than a decade it seems. So, he wants to go back to Nissan or Toyota. Trucks don't get the best mileage, but we have to have a truck with all we do--home remodeling, etc. Even picking up mulch without a truck is difficult. And, if you buy anything like furniture or appliances, it saves a lot of money to pick it up yourself instead of paying a delivery fee.

We just went to the New Car Show and you can have this baby for just $72,000

I have had one new car in my life and I bought a 2010 Camry . I'm not one who enjoys spending or shopping much , when I was writing out the check for the car the salesman asked me if I was OK because I started pouring sweat and got really pale so I'm told .

My step dad who owns a car lot would gladly give me any car at cost urged me to buy a new one because the incentives were so good at the time . I still think I would have been just as happy with a used one .

I was so fortunate because we alwayse had cool rides not that I had anything to do with itl. Billl loved cars and I love him so it was a good fit. He once bought a Crysler I tink it was a newport and I loved sleeping in the front seat . I used to do things in that car that I won't admit to. I remember so viidly the night we got lost in Vanceburg KY . Thansk for a happy memory.

Back in the 70s my dad bought a 'deuce and a quarter' aka Buick Electra 225. That was a nice ride for sure! 'We was stylin'. My grandmother (all of 4'11") always had a huge Cadillac... I remember that we could get up and walk from one side of the back seat to the other it was so big.

Yea... I want a pickup truck now that I think about it. A 'real man's vehicle'. LOL

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

A neighbour of mine has a really nice scooter he's thinking of selling and the price he mentioned I could save up for in a few months. He's happy to wait, so hopefully by the end of summer or early autumn, I may have a scooter. It's in really good condition. This guy has a collection of them and keeps them all in pristine condition and excellent running order. He even said I could store it in his garage.

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

Wolfie- Nice bike! I used to ride to work a lot when I lived in the city, and it was a three and a half mile ride. Now it's ten times that, so riding is out of the question. 70 miles round trip every day isn't for this old duffer But I have been lobbying the Hubby for a new ride. I recently found a 1964 Checker Marathon station wagon in excellent shape, just needs tires. Really Cheap too!

Wolfie- Nice bike! I used to ride to work a lot when I lived in the city, and it was a three and a half mile ride. Now it's ten times that, so riding is out of the question. 70 miles round trip every day isn't for this old duffer But I have been lobbying the Hubby for a new ride. I recently found a 1964 Checker Marathon station wagon in excellent shape, just needs tires. Really Cheap too!

So far, Norm is underwhelmed by the prospect.....

CaptCarl

I wasn't sure what that way so I googled it. That's what they used for cab service in some cities. Awesome, bet it's roomy and has plenty of HEAD room.......lol